Five-0 brings back small-kid time

My wife and I are anxious to see the first boxed set of "Hawaii Five-0" on DVD. I have just finished reading several articles about it (Star-Bulletin, March 11). I have vivid memories of this great series.

I can remember the back alleys of Fort Street Mall when filming took place. My brother had a business closer to Beretania. There were many days when he would call me at home as a youngster and say, "Bruddah Clayt, go catch the bus and come to my office." They were filming "Hawaii Five-0" the entire day. It was fun to actually see Jack Lord and the rest of the cast in person.

Also, we both try to remember shots of different areas and how they have changed to this day.

The legend of Steve McGarrett, Kono, Danno and Chin Ho will live on forever.

Add ethanol and use even more gasoline

I drive a 2005 Nissan Sentra. Prior to the adding of 10 percent ethanol to our gas, I was getting 31 miles to the gallon. I drive about 6,500 miles per year. Using all gas, I used about 210 gallons at a price per gallon of $2.65 (military PX price) and a yearly cost of $556.50. However, since ethanol was put into our gas I will use 250 gallons for the same 6,500 miles driven. If ethanol is 10 percent of a gallon of gas, then I now use 225 gallons of gas and 25 gallons of ethanol. Also, I spent $662.50 for the gas with ethanol.

As you can see from the above, I use 15 more gallons of gas than I did prior to ethanol and another 25 gallons of ethanol. Further, I am spending $39.75 per year more on gas and another $66.25 on ethanol.

The cost above might seem small; however, multiply that by all those cars on the road and we are talking millions of dollars and millions more gallons of gas and millions of gallons of ethanol. Someone is smiling all the way to the bank.

The only thing I can see that is happening is that Hawaii residents are getting fleeced by the people we elect, who did not do their homework.

Leaders can separate opinion from policy

Monday morning, the top U.S. military general and top military adviser to the president -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace -- mistakenly injected his personal opinion in an interview with the Chicago Tribune when he described homosexual acts as immoral.

Both during the interview and later in a statement, Pace described his comments as an expression of his personal opinion. I believe, probably like every single one of you, that this is an accurate description of Pace's personal opinion toward this subject. However, let us not take his comments out of context. The clear point that Pace made to me (listening to the audio) was that he was able to uphold the policy of don't ask don't tell, even though he holds a personal opinion that homosexual acts are immoral.

While military leaders should probably never express personal opinions about policy to the press, it shows us that he has the capacity to set aside his personal opinion while leading others in enforcing the policy. It's an extraordinary man and leader who can put his personal opinion aside.

La Pietra sets bar high for young women

While we at La Pietra join in celebrating Courtney Gaddis's basketball success, we wish to correct the statement made in an article March 7 in the Sports section, which stated that she had satisfied all her core requirements at La Pietra by the end of her junior year.

That is incorrect. La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls (grades 6-12) has standards as high as or higher than all other top level college preparatory schools in the country for meeting core requirements. A student cannot complete the requirements without completing her senior year.

We enjoyed having Courtney as a student at La Pietra from sixth grade through her junior year. We wish her the best and know that her academic, personal, sports and leadership preparation and growth at La Pietra will continue to serve her well in the years to come.

Is Young Brothers getting special treatment?

The Star-Bulletin reported Saturday that Young Brothers inaugurated service on Friday of "Kaholo," a drive-on/drive-off barge with a capacity for 500 vehicles. That's double the capacity of the Hawaii Superferry.

Should not foes of the Hawaii Superferry on environmental and traffic issues also oppose Young Brothers' Kaholo barge?

Jaywalk right through the looking glass

At last! Alice in Wonderland meets Hawaii Revised Statutes in Section 15-17.2 (b) of the city's Traffic Code ("Kokua Line," Star-Bulletin, March 13).

I can identify a "marked" crosswalk, but not an "unmarked" crosswalk. If they are "unmarked" does that mean they are invisible? Can they only be at intersections marked "Walk and Don't Walk"? Who is able to gauge if he or she is exactly 200 feet from the nearest intersection?

Is there any other state that might have written a more understandable Traffic Code we could plagiarize? You know ... one that makes sense.